Chapter 10
1 Yahweh said to Moses , " Go in to Pharaoh , for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants , that I may show these my signs among them ;
2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son , and of your son ’s son , what things I have done to Egypt , and my signs which I have done among them ; that you may know that I am Yahweh ."
3 Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh , and said to him , " This is what Yahweh , the God of the Hebrews , says : ‘ How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me ? Let my people go , that they may serve me .
4 Or else , if you refuse to let my people go , behold , tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,
5 and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped , which remains to you from the hail , and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field .
6 Your houses shall be filled , and the houses of all your servants , and the houses of all the Egyptians , as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen , since the day that they were on the earth to this day .’" He turned , and went out from Pharaoh .
7 Pharaoh ’s servants said to him , " How long will this man be a snare to us ? Let the men go , that they may serve Yahweh , their God . Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?"
8 Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh , and he said to them , " Go , serve Yahweh your God ; but who are those who will go ?"
9 Moses said, " We will go with our young and with our old . We will go with our sons and with our daughters , with our flocks and with our herds ; for we must hold a feast to Yahweh ."
10 He said to them , " Yahweh be with you if I let you go with your little ones ! See , evil is clearly before your faces .
11 Not so ! Go now you who are men , and serve Yahweh ; for that is what you desire !" Then they were driven out from Pharaoh ’s presence .
12 Yahweh said to Moses , " Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt , and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left ."
13 Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt , and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day , and all night ; and when it was morning , the east wind brought the locusts.
14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt , and rested in all the borders of Egypt . They were very grievous . Before them there were no such locusts as they , nor will there ever be again .
15 For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened , and they ate every herb of the land , and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left . There remained nothing green , either tree or herb of the field , through all the land of Egypt .
16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste , and he said , " I have sinned against Yahweh your God , and against you .
17 Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to Yahweh your God , that he may also take away from me this death ."
18 Moses went out from Pharaoh , and prayed to Yahweh .
19 Yahweh sent an exceedingly strong west wind , which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea . There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt .
20 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh ’s heart , and he didn’t let the children of Israel go .
21 Yahweh said to Moses , " Stretch out your hand toward the sky , that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt , even darkness which may be felt ."
22 Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky , and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days .
23 They didn’t see one another , and nobody rose from his place for three days ; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings .
24 Pharaoh called to Moses , and said , " Go , serve Yahweh . Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you ."
25 Moses said, " You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings , that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God .
26 Our livestock also shall go with us . Not a hoof shall be left behind , for of it we must take to serve Yahweh our God ; and we don’t know with what we must serve Yahweh , until we come there ."
27 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh ’s heart , and he wouldn’t let them go .
28 Pharaoh said to him , " Get away from me ! Be careful to see my face no more ; for in the day you see my face you shall die !"
29 Moses said , " You have spoken well . I will see your face again no more ."